Artemi Panarin and Peter Laviolette are under fire as their comments from a postgame interview after a brutal loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning have angered fans. Is Artemi Panarin capable of winning back their trust?![Artemi Panarin]()
The New York Rangers will have to temper their fans, as comments from Artemi Panarin and Peter Laviolette have understandably come under fire.
This was after the team's brutal 5-1 defeat by one of the best teams in the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The loss set the Rangers back by about six points in the Eastern Conference's Wild Card spot, and for all intents and purposes, their season has concluded.
Alexis Lafreniere would be removed from the game, Laviolette would opt to do other things instead of addressing the team post-game, and Artemi Panarin sounds lost in regards to how the Rangers are doing.
His comments seem like it's a huge miscalculation of how far off the team is from making the playoffs.
Which, if I was a fan who paid attention to every bit of detail regarding the team's chances all-season, I'd be pissed too.
By now, there is no second chance for this team.
Laviolette's "quote" just sounds like he's at a loss for words and only he understands the gravity of the situation.
While it could be construed as "checked out" which is a reasonable assumption, you have to think as a Coach in the NHL, you're thinking ahead already, and it isn't pleasant for him.
Either way, it doesn't reflect well on Laviolette, and could give GM Chris Drury a reason to move on from the Coach.
It seems that Coaches in New York don't have a good shelf life, considering the last one to serve only two years in the role was Gerard Gallant.
